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The Late Show

Renée Ballard works the night shift in Hollywood--also known as the Late Show--beginning many investigations but finishing none, as each morning she turns everything over to the day shift. A once up-and-coming detective, she's been given this beat as punishment after filing a sexual harassment complaint against a supervisor.But one night she catches two assignments she doesn't want to part with: the brutal beating of a prostitute left for dead in a parking lot and the killing of a young woman in a nightclub shooting. Ballard is determined not to give up at dawn. Against orders and her partner's wishes, she works both cases by day while maintaining her shift by night. As the investigations entwine, they pull her closer to her own demons and the reason she won't give up her job, no matter what the department throws at her.

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This is the first Michael Connelly book that I've read. I stayed up all night to finish the book and it has been a long time since that has happened. It's refreshing to be surprised at really good writing and that it still available. A lot of times I say meh and quit when reading a new book. This one got me started on the Bosch series, which I am enjoying.
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I've watched the Bosch series on amazon.com, liked the series so far, and wanted to know more about the author's books. I started with this one because it is, hopefully, the first of a new series, and I wouldn't have to be in the know right away.
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I thought it 90% believable, how she could live the way she does - more anonymity due to living in a large city. I found her life intriguing.

Another renegade detective fighting the inept and corrupt LA police department. Like Bosch she is wronged by her co-workers and teamed with an inept and lazy partner assigned scut work on the night shift. Too procedural and slow moving to be really interesting.

A police procedural novel with lots of detailed descriptions of procedures. These descriptions along with dog walks and surfing on the beach are used as fill. Too much use of swear words which are meaningless. Many abbreviations for police departments can be ignored or skimmed over. The novel follows a female police officer who works on solving several cases mainly single handed. Some cases are given more space than others. These cases add interest to the several themes of why murders take place in LA. Don't know what other types of cases Connelly can throw her way after this variety. The expected tensions and relationships among fellow officers/detectives/higher-ups are there. Perhaps what is not expected is that the lead female police officer - Detective Rene Ballard - is not white - perhaps Hawaiian. This character tends to act as a loner although buddies surround her. In that way, she reminds me of Sue Grafton's private investigator, but the cases Ballard pursues are not intertwined. Each chapter ends in such a way that readers want to read the next chapter. There is page turning action mainly in the middle of the book as one of her cases comes to a close; the other cases involve finding the evidence to convict - so it's using the "little grey cells" to figure out the connections - ie not page turners.

Good read. Will best judge this series after 2nd book. My hope is high, but NO ONE can replace Bosch. When the Bosch series comes to a final end........... you will hear my sad wail all over the world. M. Connellly please keep Bosch going as long as possible.

I really like the new detective. She's smart, strong, and bull-headed. The story is well-crafted with a very well-done twist at the end. Definitely well worth the read. Thanks, Michael Connelly. Hope to see more of Detective Ballard!

The "Late Show" by Michael Connelly was a disappointment. Renee` Ballard is a detective in the night shift. She is there because she complained against her boss and couldn't prove her allegations. She tries to solve cases which by rights belong in the day shifts. The whole book was slow till the last few pages when I fell for the red herring. Not enough to vindicate this new character or the book

Detective Renee Ballard is new and female character from Michael Connelly. She is a lot like Bosch, perhaps too much so, especially in her relations with brass and authority. Its a disappointing book, in that I was expecting something a little different from Connelly. Instead he has given us a female version of Harry Bosch. Tough, determined, inflexible, but just as unpredictable and just as willing to bend the rules. But also just as focused and relentless when it comes to pursuing the killer as is Bosch. She does not have a daughter, but she has a dog.

A new character for Connelly. A female police detective relegated to the night shift(the late show) can't keep herself from becoming involved in a multiple murder investigation even when told not to. She's an interesting character full of piss and vinegar and we are on her side.
Her intelligence sees her succeed even though she has a prickly personality.